Tree transplantation to revive green cover

Tree transplantation to revive green cover
The BBMP is on a tree transplantation drive to restore the green cover where trees had to make way for road widening projects, says Leena Mudbidri


The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is on damage control mode and has taken up replenishing the green spaces in the city on a war footing. As many as 70 trees have been transplanted in various BBMP zones around Bangalore since 2007 and this year the plan is to relocate 100 trees.
Tree transplanting
a rule
At a high level meeting chaired by the BBMP Commissioner, S Subrahmanya, early this month, the forest wing of the BBMP chalked out initiatives to enhance the greenery in and around the city, and transplanting healthy trees is one of them. The commissioner has conveyed that BBMP has made tree transplantation a rule.
The cost of each tree transplant ranges between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 and the BBMP will foot the bill for these operations.
Green drive
The road widening works around the city saw many trees lining the highways and arterial roads being felled to facilitate the infrastructure development. Trees were marked and uprooted from Bellary Road, Palace Road, Sarjapur Road, Hosur Road and Laskar Road. Although all the trees could not be transplanted given the status of the root history and tree structure, 70 trees have been salvaged and given a new lease of life.
The tree transplanting operations of the BBMP were initiated as early as May last year when nine trees from M G Road were transplanted in the Manekshaw Parade Grounds when the Metro Rail works got underway.
S Shekar, Conservator of Forests, BBMP, says that 30 trees were transplanted in Byatarayanapura Zone while 40 were transplanted in Bommanahalli and East Zone. "It takes 10-15 years for a tree to grow into its full-fledged state and we at the BBMP earnestly want to save as many trees as possible through our transplanting initiative," he says.
In October last year, when the Palace Road was being widened, a 25-year-old Copper Pot tree (Avenue Tree) near Maharani's College was uprooted and relocated within the Directorate of Collegiate Education campus. Five more trees have hence been transplanted within these premises. Fifteen flowering trees from the Nagarabhavi Road area of the Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi campus were transplanted within the sprawling campus. The college management gave BBMP the open land near the University Law College to relocate the Tabebuia Rosea species of trees.
Hardy tree species such as ficus, lagerstromia, peltophorum, rain tree and ashoka have been transplanted and some have even started sprouting new shoots and flowers.
Tree transporting
The whole process is tedious and it takes more than 12 hours to uproot and transplant one tree. The branches of the tree are first cut to make it easy for transport. The area around the mother root is then dug up. The tree trunk is padded with sack cloth and splints for better grip. A crane lifts the tree, transports it to the relocation spot where a pit is dug deep to accommodate the uprooted tree, and places it in the pit.
Do you want a tree transplanted?
If there is a tree that is in danger of being felled to accommodate an infrastructure project and you can have it relocated, call the Asst Conservator of forests concerned. M R Suresh (Bangalore East and North) Mobile: 98451 74447, Office: 22221188, 22100032-5 H K Jagadish (Bangalore South and West) Mobile: 94481 13664, Office: 23561692, 28600954

A tree is being prepared for transplantation on Sarjapur Road